Refrigerator-door fastener



April 1, 1924. 1,489,205

C. A. GLOEKLER I REFRIGERATOR DOOR FASTENER Filed March 9. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR ATTORNEY 67A. 'laeifler April 1, 1924. 1,489,205

0. Av GLOEKLER REFR IGERATOR DOOR FASTENER Filed March 9. 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR x BY WlTNESSf-Y ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1924.

UNITED STATES CHARLES A. enonxnnn, or rrm'rsnunen, rnnnsrnvamd;

REFRIGERATOR-DOOR FASTENER.

I Application filed March 9, 1922.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES A. GLOEKLER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Refrigerator- Door Fasteners, of which the following is a specification.

One object of my said invention is the provision of a simple, compact and durable. refrigerator door fastener having the capacity of being readily reversed to adapt it for use in conjunction with doors arranged to be swung open toward the left or with doors arranged to be opened toward the right.

Another object of theinvention is the provision in a refrigerator door fastener of a keeper which while adjustable is simple, in-

expensive and strong in construction.

To the attainment of the foregoing, the invention consists in the improvement as hereinafter described and definitely claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification:--

Figure 1 is a front elevation showing my improvement applied to a door mounted to open toward the left.

Figure 2 shows the fastener in top plan.

Figure 3 is a perspective of the door portion of the fastener.

Figure 4 is a vertical section through the housing of the same.

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4 but with the lever reversed as when the portion is to be used on a door mounted to open toward the right.

Figure 6 is a vertical transverse section taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 4.

Figures 7 and 8 are detail views of the keeper of the fastener, the sectional view Figuzre 8 being taken on the line 8-8 of Figure 7 Similar numerals of reference designate corresponding parts in ali of the views of the drawing The door portion of my improvement is designed to be carried by a refrigerator door 1, and is made up of a housing 2, a lever 3 and a sp-rin includes a casing bo y 5, and a plate 6, Figures 3 and 6, the said plate being detachably connected with the casing body 5 by a flush screw 7 and being designed to be opposed to the face of the door 1 soas to be practically hidden from view. 011 the 4. The housing 2 Serial No. 542,374.

casing body 5 are end flanges 8, apertured at 9 to receive attaching screws 10, and in the casing body 5 is a journal 11, Figure 6, in which is a threaded socket 12 to receive the shank of the said screw 7. Also in the casing body 5 and carried by the end walls 13 thereof are projections 14, 14*, one on each end wall and spaced from one edge wall 15 of the casing body as best shown in Figure 4. It will also be noticed that the edge wall 15 of the casing body 5 is recessed as indicated by 16, and that the other edge wall '17 of the casing body is provided with a similar recess 18. The lever 3 includes a handle portion 19, an enlarged intermediate and apertuned ortion 20 to receive the journal 11, and a keeper-engaging portion 21. In its opposite ed es the keeperengaglng portion 21 is provided with pairs of notches 22 which form a seat 4, the end convolution of a coiled spring 4, the opposite end of the said spring 4 being disposed and held against lateral displacement in the space 24 afforded between one of the projections 14, 14 and the adjacent edge wall 15 of the casing body 5. The spring 4 is designed to yieldingly press the lever portion 21 downwardly so as to retain said lever portion 21 in engagement with the keeper presently described, and manifestly when the door 1 is arranged to swing open toward the left, as in Figures 1 and 2,.the spring 4 will be relatively arranged as shown in Figure 4. When, however, the door that is to carry the door portion of my improvement is mounted to swing open toward the right, the lever 3 and the easing are reversed as shown in Figure 5, and the spring 4 is arranged with its outer end between the projection 14 and the casing wall 15 instead of between the projection 14 and the casing wall 15 as in Figure 4. The late 6 is arranged in the casing body 5 an flush with the inner side thereof, and said plate is provided with a tongue to rest in the recesses 16 at the inner side of the keeper-engaging portion 21 of the lever 3.

The keeper of my novel fastener is clearly shown in Figures 1, 2, 7 and 8, and is made up of a bracket member 30 and a lever receiving member 31. The bracket member 30 includes a body 32 and apertured end porlltltt tions 33 and 34 for the passage of attaching lllllb the bod 32 is a slot 37 Figures 7 and 8. On the ever receiving "member 31 is a beveled portion 38 and ,a shank 39, the said shank 39 being adjustable rectilmearly 1n the channel 36 so as to osition the keeper portion 38 at various istances from the face of the refri erator body 40. as conditions require for t e proper fitting of the keeper ortion 38 relatlve to the portion 21 of the ever 3. For the purpose of adjustably fixing the said shank 39 of the member 31 w th respect to the bracket member 30 I provide the screw 41 and the washer 42, the said screw extending through the slot 37 and be ing threaded into the shank 39, and the washer 42 being inter osed between the head 7 41 of the screw and t opposed side of the bracket body 32. It will be manifest from the foregoing that notwithstanding its ability to be applied with facility to a left hand door or to a right hand door as necessitv demands, my novel fastener is simple an strong in construction, and is well adapted to withstand for an indefinite period the rough usage to which refrigerator. door fasteners are ordinarily subjected. It will also be manifest that my novel fastener is susceptible of being inexpensively manufactured, assembled and applied, and that in use it will assure the retention of a refriger ator door in a tightly closed position, and this without rendering it difficult to unfasten and open the door when the same is desired. In this latter connection the adjustable capacity of the keeper member 31 will be appreciated as materially advantageous when it is stated that the lever 3 through repeated use and frictional wear shortly becomes loose, and the wear can be expeditiously and easily taken up so that the lever can be kept tighti. e., adapted to hold the door in a tightly closed position, for an indefinite period of time.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. The combination in a refrigerator door fastener, of a casing body adapted for connection to the face of a refrigerator door and having at the inner sides of its end walls projections spaced from one of its edge walls and also having recesses in its edge walls and an interior ournal between said recesses and, provided with a threaded socket, a plate ar-- its shank disposed iirthe socket of said journal, a lever extending through said recesses of the casing body and mounted to rock on the journal thereof, and having pairs of .notches at opposite sides of its keeper-engaging portion, and a coiled spring removably arranged with one of its ends in engagement with one pair 'of lever notches and its opposite end interposed and held against lateral displacement between one of the pro jections in the casing body and the adjacent edge wall of said body.

2. The combination in a refrigerator door fastener, of a casingbody adapted for connection to the face of a refrigerator door and having at the inner sides of its end walls projections spaced from one of its edge Walls and also having recesses in its edge walls and an interior journal between said recesses, a lever extending through said recesses of the casing body and mounted to rock on the journal thereof and having pairs of notches at opposite sides of its keeper-engaging portion, and a coiled spring removably arranged with one of its ends in engagement with one pair of the lever notches and its opposite end interposed and held against lateral displacement between one of the projections in the casing body and-the adjacent edge wall of said body.

3. The combination in a refrigerator door fastener,- of a casing body adapted for connection to the face of a refrigerator door and having at the inner sides of its end walls projections spaced from one of its edge walls and also having recesses in its ed e walls and an interior journal between sai recesses, a lever extending through said recesses of the casing body and mounted to rock on the journal thereof and having spring engaging means at opposite sides of its keeper-engaging portion, and a coiled spring removably arranged with one of its ends in engagement with the spring engaging means of the lever and its opposite end interposed and held against a lateral displacement between one of the projections in the casing body and the adjacent edge wall of said body.

In testimony whereof'I aflix my signature.

CHARLES a. GLOEKLER. 

